PTA+ Third-party active challenges

Fundraising can be a time-consuming business. Even with a good idea, it’s often a whirlwind of organisation and administration wrapped in a layer of stress. So, it’s no wonder many schools and PTAs are choosing to take advantage of fundraisers organised by third parties. This approach saves them time and hassle while still generating a healthy amount of money.

These fundraisers might involve entering a team of parents and teachers in a well-known event such as the London Marathon, Great North Run, London to Brighton Bike Ride or a Scottish Kiltwalk. Alternatively, your team could sign up for a more exotic challenge, such as a skydive or mountain climb, organised by a professional challenge company, many of whom offer discounts for charities.

Some organisations, such as Large Outdoors, offer the option of ‘open’ events–challenges scheduled on set days throughout the year. Charities including PTAs can book as many or as few participants onto the fundraisers as they want, removing the pressure to sign up a minimum number of people. Its day walks, which include Snowdon, Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike, cost around £50 per person.

‘The main benefit for small charities of taking part in a challenge with us is the simplicity,’ says founder Gareth Williams. ‘We do all the admin, so they don’t have to worry about things like insurance, risk assessments or holding people’s medical details. Participants can contact us directly with all their questions about things like kit lists or which boots to wear, so there’s none of that hassle either.

‘We also provide reassurance. As an outdoor company, we know the routes really well, and we use professional guides who all have first aid qualifications. Often people are really going outside their comfort zones during our challenges, so having a guide they can trust talking to them and getting them through it can make a huge difference.

’Getting involved in a third-party fundraiser means your PTA can offer a more exciting and unusual experience than you would otherwise be able to organise. This can inspire people to take part and encourage more sponsorship.

If parents and teachers are taking on a particularly impressive challenge, it’s also more likely to attract press coverage, which in turn can help you secure sponsorship from outside your school community. So put down your cake tin and find a plane to jump out of...

‘Parkrun removed the stress of our sponsored run’

My husband’s a runner and a member of our committee. He came up with the idea of participating in our local parkrun as a way for us to raise money that wouldn’t take up a lot of time.

Fundraisers usually involve so much planning and organisation, but this was something where we could just show up on the day and take part. Parkrun set up the course with signs to follow and marshals in hi-vis vests to guide everyone along the way. They also provide first aid support along the route in case anyone needs assistance. Signing up is very straightforward; you just go online and get a barcode.

We had a total of 18 runners and set up a joint JustGiving page, so that no one was under pressure to get individual sponsorship. Most of the participants were staff, and I was reluctant to join in, but I eventually got talked into it!

As our nursery is called Rainbow Day, we wore rainbow colours and face paint. We also carried collection buckets. I was pushing my daughter in her buggy, so it took me about an hour to complete the course. Some people finished in far less time.

Overall, we raised £500, which is a huge amount of money for us to make in such a short time. We now hope to do it every year!

Chloe Goldsmith, parent cooperative chair, Rainbow Day Nursery and Pre-School, Lowestoft (60 pupils)

‘The skydive was terrifying–but it was a great fundraiser’

The idea to do a skydive for our local schools came about one night in the pub. One of the guys mentioned he was scared of heights and wanted to conquer his fear by jumping out of a plane. The next morning, I booked us in for a skydive. Seven of us took part, all either parents, governors or former pupils of the two local schools and the nursery. The fact that we were raising money for all three institutions really helped, turning it into a community-wide event.

We received a lot of support from local businesses–the pub and shop put up posters for us and set up collection buckets that raised hundreds of pounds. We also held a pub quiz and a raffle that attracted a lot of people from the town. We also created a JustGiving page. I decided to pay for the jump out of my own pocket, so all of the sponsorship money could go to the schools. A company called SkyDive Ireland organised the jump for us. They’re a professional organisation of experienced sky jumpers who talk you through exactly what’s going to happen before they take you up in the plane. Then they tandem jump with you. The jump was postponed twice because of bad weather, which only ramped up our nerves more. By the time we actually did it, I was terrified, but the rest of the guys loved it and said it was the best experience of their lives.

In the end, we raised over £15,000, so each school received about £5,000

I would definitely encourage other parents to do a skydive. Not only was it a great fundraiser, it was a great bonding experience too!

Richard Schwartz, parent, Brookeborough Primary School, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland (64 pupils)